"Sim Woo-myeon Yeonriri" meets viewers full of dopamine detox.
On the 25th, at The Saint in Sindorim-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, a production press conference was held for KBS2's new miniseries "Sim Woo-myeon Yeonriri" (written by Song Jeong-rim and Wang Hye-ji, directed by Choi Yeon-soo, produced by Sim Story). Director Choi Yeon-soo and actors Park Sung-woong, Lee Soo-kyung, Lee Seo-Hwan, Nam Kwon-ah, Lee Jinwoo, and Choi Gyu-ri attended the event.
"Sim Woo-myeon Yeonriri" is a genuine city family Seong Tae-hoon family who suddenly falls into the pristine fierce(?) area "Yeonriri" and struggles to make a comeback to Seoul in a chaotic family reboot healing drama. Director Choi Yeon-soo, who co-directed "Pump Up the Healthy Love", "Crazy Love", and "Decision to Leave", joined forces with writers Song Jeong-rim, who wrote "My Merry Marriage", and Wang Hye-ji, who wrote "Love Without Romance".
Director Choi Yeon-soo said, "Warmth was the biggest reason for choosing it. I felt warmth; every character's attitude toward life and toward each other felt warm. While making this work, I often said, 'As you age, who you live with and how you live seems to have a big impact,' and I felt such a warm heart inside that I wanted to live in it, so I chose it as my debut work."
Park Sung-woong plays K-household head Seong Tae-hoon, who rose to a corporate department head position on the strength of one ability but was suddenly transferred and moved to the rural "Yeonriri" with his family. Park Sung-woong wittily portrays Seong Tae-hoon's change as he leaves the city and seeks true happiness in nature, and is expected to deliver harmless laughter and emotion to viewers at the same time. Returning to KBS two years after "Gae-sori," Park Sung-woong said, "When the script came in, it was a character I could express well. As a K-household head, I thought I could portray Seong Tae-hoon well, so I chose it."
Lee Soo-kyung plays Jo Mi-ryeo, a supermom who raised three sons alone instead of a husband tied to his company. Jo Mi-ryeo, who enters Yeonriri with no farming knowledge or rural living experience, faces greater-than-expected obstacles and unfolds a chaotic adaptation story. Lee Soo-kyung said, "This is the first time I've played a role where I directly raise children. Having grown sons is a challenge for me, and as an actor there always seems to be a transition period. I thought it was a good opportunity, and if I can work with good colleagues in a good project I felt I had to do it."
In particular, Park Sung-woong and Lee Soo-kyung worked together in KBS2's "Gae-sori," the late Lee Soon-jae's final work, and the play "Rendezvous," and in "Sim Woo-myeon Yeonriri" they are expected to meet as a married couple and show an upgraded chemistry. Lee Soo-kyung said, "I felt a bit more at ease because I had worked with Park Sung-woong before," and Park Sung-woong said, "In the previous work, we got married at the end, so we became a married couple, but there weren't many scenes where we confronted each other. Still, I worked closely with Lee Soo-kyung and the three children."
Park Sung-woong added, "It helped that we matched our rhythm during 'Gae-sori.' Back then we couldn't meet often, but this time being together all the time was hard. I have a dark side, while Lee Soo-kyung is always bright. It was difficult to find a middle ground between being so dark and so bright, but having three children really helped." Lee Soo-kyung said, "Sometimes Park Sung-woong is even brighter than me. There were times when his tension was overwhelming."
Lee Seo-Hwan plays Im Ju-hyung, the acknowledged chief resident and village head of Yeonriri. He loves the village more than anyone and is a person who is especially soft toward his daughter. Im Ju-hyung not only shows strong hostility toward Tae-hoon's (Park Sung-woong) company "Matstory," which shook the village, but also reveals a subtle envy and jealousy toward Tae-hoon, a former corporate department head.
Lee Seo-Hwan said, "I didn't prepare anything about my appearance, but I'm glad it fits well. What I prepared was the dialect. It still remains even now. Beyond intonation, to give a sense of presence on set I observed local residents closely. My manager is also from that area, so when I prepared lines he checked them. Acquaintances all said it was good."
Nam Kwon-ah plays Nam Hye-seon, the unelected power behind the scenes and president of the women's association in Yeonriri. On the outside she seems like a tough woman, but inside she is deeper and warmer than anyone and is the first to notice changes in Yeonriri. Facing her daughter Im Bo-mi's (Choi Gyu-ri) choice, she ultimately chooses respect and shows the true adult who maintains Yeonriri's balance.
Attending her first production press conference, Nam Kwon-ah said, "With the same feelings as when I first started, I'm excited and expectant, like I've gone from the countryside to Seoul for an outing," and added, "I'm used to speaking the Gyeongsang dialect, so trying to speak standard language is hard. Hearing the dialect makes me comfortable. I want to say I'm a lovely and gentle woman. I played a role like Yeonriri's Oh Eun-young, and I want to show my surprising charm in this opportunity."
Lee Jinwoo plays Seong Ji-cheon, Seong Tae-hoon's son, who brings a fresh breeze to Yeonriri. Seong Ji-cheon, who entered medical school with a perfect college entrance exam score, realizes it's not his path and decides to drop out without his family's knowledge. Later, coming down to Yeonriri with his family, Ji-cheon slowly finds his true "self" amid unfamiliar spaces and people.
Taking on his first lead role, Lee Jinwoo said of the character Seong Ji-cheon, "What differs is that Seong Ji-cheon is a top student with a perfect college entrance exam score, but in reality Lee Jinwoo is different. I think Seong Ji-cheon's charm is that he lived only according to his mother's will, then went to the countryside, found what he wanted to do, gained confidence and courage, and grew."
In particular, Lee Jinwoo formed mother-and-child chemistry with Ko Hyun-jung in "Namib," and in "Sim Woo-myeon Yeonriri" he matches mother-and-child chemistry with Lee Soo-kyung. Lee Soo-kyung expressed frustration, saying, "I wasn't at my house but at the village head's house. Seeing that made me furious, so I told him to go to that house, and he called me 'your aunt.' I came to understand the saying that no matter how well you raise your children, what's the use?" Lee Jinwoo joked, "I never called her 'aunt.' I called her 'mother' but I remember jokingly saying 'aunt,'" drawing laughter.
Choi Gyu-ri meets viewers as Im Bo-mi, the only daughter of Im Ju-hyung (Lee Seo-Hwan) and Nam Hye-seon (Nam Kwon-ah). She is a spirited personality who, instead of an immature father, has taken care of Yeonriri since childhood and, as a nutritionist, is responsible for students' meals and firmly plays the role of the village's health guardian. In front of Bo-mi appears a "new face" Seong Ji-cheon (Lee Jinwoo), and the fluttering begins.
Choi Gyu-ri said, "I thought of it as a healing drama set in the countryside, so as Yeonriri's youngest native, I wanted to create a character whose presence alone brings a smile and eases tension, and I tried to express the bright and positive side of myself."
Lee Jinwoo and Choi Gyu-ri are expected to add vitality to the drama as the narrative of two young people attracted to each other. The chemistry of the two actors, who foreshadow the Yeonriri version of Romeo and Juliet, is also drawing attention. Choi Gyu-ri said, "In the drama, my parents are an older-younger pairing, and Lee Jinwoo and I are also an older-younger pairing. The actual age difference helped immersion. Except for the difficulty of trying not to laugh, it was good chemistry." Lee Jinwoo said, "Since it's my first romance, I was very nervous and trembling, but Choi Gyu-ri made me comfortable so I opened up quickly. Thanks to her, we were able to film the romance well."
Director Choi Yeon-soo, presenting his debut work, said, "A viewing point is the joy of watching a goldfish-like family. They say there is no problem-free family, and it made me think of my own family and those around me, and made me reflect on myself. I think there will be the fun of empathy. And I hope you enjoy it as 'Yeon' as you watch. I hope you directly see and feel the space and the people's colors of 'Yeonriri.' It's not a sensational story, but in a different way it bursts with dopamine. From bromance to romance, I hope it becomes a work you won't tire of watching every day and that when life is hard you can take it out occasionally to recharge your courage to live. I want it to be remembered as a work like a mother's meal."
KBS2's new miniseries "Sim Woo-myeon Yeonriri" will premiere on the 26th at 9:50 p.m.
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